A Birthday Key
by Juura99
Summary: It's Naruto's birthday, and he's left watching the village celebrate the downfall of Kyuubi. He returns home, only to find that maybe, just maybe, his birthday isn't so bad after all. Birthday Fic- SasuNaru hints, fluff.


**NYAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! *swings into picture and lets go of rope, going a starfish impression in the air before crashing to the ground with a loud thud* ... I'm okay! *gets up and grins excitedly***

**TIS NARU-CHAN'S 17th TODAY! (it might already be there for some of you...time zones and all) AND HERE IS MY FIC TO HIM!**

**I was struggling to think of something to write...and then this came to me at around, 3:00 AM, so I just wrote it, and dude I was sure my eyes were going to melt in my skull with how much they were burning...**

**So yeah, this is just a little oneshot, and it's set...it's set...well...it's set whenever you wish it to be set. It's in the original Ninjaverse, and Sasuke is still there and stuff...so yeah. Anyway...**

***pulls string and a large banner rolls down, proclaiming 'HAPPY 17th NARUTO!' in bright orange letters.***

**ON WITH THE BIRTHDAY FIC!  
**

* * *

The sounds of people yelling happily, and plates clashing, music playing, streamers fluttering, balloons popping, banners billowing and any other festive noise one could imagine was audible to anyone within a hundred meter radius of Konoha's largest park.

The clearing was lit up with lanterns hanging from trees and candles sitting carefully on the many long tables that were placed around the clearing, encircling the area for dancing, in which many, many people were writhing to the music flowing through the air.

Food was everywhere, and people were eating their fill, smiles on their faces as they laughed and talked happily even as streamers and ribbons and flags and banners and papers and leaflets and anything and everything under the origami-sun was being tossed and tumbled into the air around them, making the clearing seem to be a swirling mix of bright, vibrant colours.

The people's faces were filled with mixed emotions, joy and happiness and cheer at having such a fun time, but there were shadows across each and every adult's face... a haunting ghost that rendered their smiles fake and plastic, moulded by the hand of a bitter sculptor trying and failing to create an image of happiness.

The festive air, although joyous in appearance and boasting loud in noise of cheer, was the celebration of the downfall of a great beast, the downfall of a great hero, and the start of a cursed being.

This day was to cheer at the fallen beast, to mourn the fallen hero, and to loathe what was left behind.

And standing just outside of that clearing, watching with sad, broken blue eyes, was a young boy whose existence was being cursed and loathed by the very people celebrating.

He was the cursed being. He was the most loathed, all because of something he had no choice or control over.

Uzumaki Naruto was standing behind a tree, watching as people celebrated the hate of this day...his birthday.

He bit his lip, and turned away, not wanting to see the looks directed at him anymore. They knew he was there, and there were so many glares, so many hateful glances, and so many outright loathing sneers in his direction.

He didn't want to see it. He couldn't stand to look at it.

He just wanted to be accepted, appreciated...to be loved.

Holding back a whimper, because he could not show such a weakness, Naruto turned and made his way through the dark and silent village, making plans to simply go to his bed and leave this night behind.

His apartment building loomed into view, sending a strong shiver of lonliness down his spine. He didn't like being there by himself...it was always so empty and stifling. The echoing call of his own 'I'm home' only proved to remind him of how truly alone he was every night.

He walked up the stairs, sighing, and reached his door, unlocking it and stepping inside. He slipped his shoes off and untied his headband, holding it loosely and running his free hand through his hair.

He closed his eyes for a moment...listening to the silence.

He wondered how it was that silence could be so...loud.

Snickering softly as his own oxymoronic thoughts, he walked down the short hall, whispering a soft 'happy birthday my ass'.

"Well that's not very optimistic now is it?" a voice said.

Naruto jumped, eyes snapping open as he looked up only to be stunned into silence, his mouth gaping open.

In his apartment, the single room that was both his living room and bedroom, and kitchen, stood three people around a small table.

On the table were three different sized packages, surrounding a small, chocolate cake with white icing that seemed to scream 'Happy Birthday Naruto!'

Several candles were lit, and their flickering light illuminated the faces of his teammates.

Kakashi stood in between the others, his eye curved up in a smile and his hand raised in a greeting. "Welcome home, Naruto. Happy Birthday." He said cheerfully.

Sakura was to his left, smiling happily. "Happy Birthday, Naruto-baka!" she said.

Sasuke stood to the left, a small smirk on his face as he gazed at the stupefied blonde. "Keep it up, usuratonkachi, you might catch a few flies that way." He teased.

Naruto snapped his mouth shut and blinked rapidly. "W-what are you guys doing here?" he asked shakily, hardly daring to believe his eyes.

Sakura sighed in frustration and crossed her arms. "Geez, isn't it obvious? We're here to celebrate your birthday with you!" she scolded, walking over and pinching his cheek painfully.

Naruto whined, trying to pull away from the harsh grip, but he only succeeded in stretching his cheek out more. "S-Sakura-chan! That hurts!" he complained.

Kakashi chuckled and stepped forwards, pulling Sakura back a bit. "Now, now, let's not fight. We're here to celebrate after all. Come on, Naruto. You need to make a wish and blow out your candles." He said.

Naruto blinked and stared at the small cake, feeling happiness blossom in his chest like a rose in bloom, warmth spreading through to his very fingertips.

He looked down, his hair falling over his eyes and for a moment, he looked devastated. Kakashi blinked.

"Naruto?"

Sakura looked concerned, and lifted a hand towards him. "...Naruto?" she asked worriedly.

Sasuke remained blank, but his features tightened ever so slightly. He kept his silence, but the words 'what's wrong, usuratonkachi?' were louder than anything else in their minds.

"...Thank you...so much..." Naruto murmured, before he looked up with a blinding smile, some tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. "Thank you guys so much!" he cheered happily, and jumped forwards, hugging Kakashi tightly.

The man laughed, petting his head. "Ah, it's okay. Now come on, make a wish." He said, leading the excited blonde over to the cake.

Sakura stood next to Sasuke, but for once, her focus was not on him, but rather on the purely ecstatic look on the blonde's face.

'He looks so happy... I guess he was right when he said he'd be excited...' she thought, glancing sideways at her stoic teammate.

Naruto cupped his chin thoughtfully, thinking of something to wish for. When the perfect idea struck him, he grinned and took a deep breath.

With a powerful blow, he wiped out all the candles easily, and he gave another blinding smile while Sakura cheered and Kakashi chuckled.

Sasuke only smirked at the look on the blonde's face.

They cut the cake into slices, giving Naruto the biggest and Sasuke the smallest, as he didn't like sweets too much, and they sat around the table, eating and chatting happily. Naruto was practically vibrating with happiness at the fact that they were there, sitting with him, and celebrating _his_ birthday without any loathing towards him.

Even Sakura's punches held an affection to them that had lacked during daily routines.

Kakashi clapped his hands together once everyone had finished their cake, and directed another eye-smile to Naruto. "Time to open presents." He said.

Naruto whooped happily and darted to the table, looking between the three parcels excitedly.

He grabbed the smallest first, and carefully pried it open. Inside was an Birthday card and a small envelope.

He opened the card, reading it aloud.

"Happy Birthday, Naruto.

I hope you have an awesome day and a better year ahead.

From Sakura."

He looked up at the girl, eyes swimming with thanks. "S-Sakura-chan!" he said sappily.

She crossed her arms, smiling. "Look at your gift though!" she urged happily. Naruto obeyed, opening up the small envelope and pulling out the papers inside. When his eyes read them over, he gave a cry of joy.

"Coupons for free ramen at Ichiraku's! Six of them! Thank you so much Sakura-chan!" He wailed, running forwards to hug the girl. She stepped to the side just in time, and Naruto ended up flying into Sasuke instead. They both grunted as they collided.

"You dobe."

"Shut up teme!"

Kakashi laughed at their familiar banter, and pulled Naruto away. "There's still two more presents." He reminded, and immediately Naruto's anger towards Sasuke was gone, replaced with excitement.

The blonde grabbed the largest parcel this time, grinning with enthusiasm as he opened it up. He let out a gasp when he saw the brand new set of kunai, sharpened and shined to perfection, with the leaf village emblem engraved onto the blade's side. They were beautiful.

On the side was a small note proclaiming 'Happy Birthday, Naruto. Love Kakashi.'

Ignoring the creepy 'love' part of the note, Naruto turned around and tackled his teacher into a hug, the words 'Thank you thank you thank you' spilling from his mouth like a broken damn. Kakashi only laughed and ruffled his hair.

Naruto pulled away and looked at the last present. It had to be Sasuke's. He was the only one left.

He took the parcel, throwing a curios glance at the raven, and feeling his interest rise at the slight red tinge to Sasuke's cheeks, even though the boy was glaring at the wall.

He unwrapped it, revealing two scrolls with tight bindings. There was intricate writing on the covers, and he was awed by the delicate borders resembling that of a dragon's tail.

"They're jutsu scrolls...and they also have some good training techniques." Sasuke murmured, still not looking at him.

Naruto stared at him, before a slow grin curved his face. He took a step towards the raven and held out his fist.

"Thanks, teme." He said. Sasuke looked up and snorted, reaching his own fist forward and bumping it lightly against Naruto's.

"Dobe." He smirked.

The four of them continued to chat for a bit, exchanging silly ideas and random comments, before finally Kakashi announced they should all head home and to bed, as they had a mission the next day.

"I'll see you all at the bridge." He said, receiving nods from them all.

Sakura actually managed to give Naruto a small, hesitant hug, which he returned full force and got smacked upside the head for. But he smiled the whole time.

"Happy Birthday Naruto." She said again, waving as she walked towards the front door after Kakashi. Naruto waved back, calling out an enthusiastic thank you before turning to the last remaining person.

Sasuke had his hands shoved deep in his pockets, and for a moment they stared at each other. Then Sasuke 'hn-ed' and began to leave, only pausing briefly at the doorway next to Naruto.

"Happy Birthday, usuratonkachi." He said quietly, and Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of a small, true smile on the raven's face before he was gone out the door and into the night.

Naruto stared at the closed door before he smiled.

"Thanks teme." He said softly before walking back to his room.

He set about putting his gifts away, and picked up the second scroll he had received from Sasuke. As he lifted it up, something fell out of it, landing on the floor with a light 'chink'.

Naruto blinked down at the small piece of folded paper. "Huh? What's this?" he wondered aloud, reaching down to grab it.

In the paper was a key, one which he'd never seen before, and he spent a good minute staring at it, trying to figure out where it was supposed to go before finally conceding defeat and looking at the note.

He gasped.

_Dear Dobe._

_This is the key to my house, it unlocks the front door._

_This is my real birthday gift to you._

_I know how lonely you get, and so I give you this key to let you know...you do have a place to return to, and it doesn't have to be your lonely apartment._

_You can come home anytime you want._

_Happy Birthday._

_From,_

_Sasuke (Teme)._

Naruto saw the tears hit the paper before he realized he was crying, and he clutched the small key to his heart.

"Thank you so much...Sasuke."

And that night, Naruto went to sleep with a large smile on his face, the key clutched safely in his hand, right over his heart.

* * *

**...HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO! *giggles***

**Ah, so how was it? Like I said, this can be set whenever...before the chuunin exams,...after the chuunin exams...in shippuden(with slight non-canon features, of course) or whenever! USE YOUR IMAGINATION!**

**And of course, there's a splodge of SasuNaru-ish content in there...but it can be read as either romance or friendship, ne?**

**Review and so forth!**

**Also! check out Lawlie-Sama's stories...they're cool, and there's one there called 'Our Battle Story'...well, it's a really weird battle between us! You might find it interesting, so go ahead and read it! Some parts of it have been mentioned in her stories before, but that one gives the recap and such. So if you'd like to see the pure random craziness of our battles, go check out Lawlie-Sama's story 'Our Battle Story' along with her other story Lost Kit (which is awesome) and Hook, Line and Sinner (which is also awesome).**

**Many thanks my pretties!**

**Juura99  
**


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